From The Australian, Wealth: CONSUMER NEWS: Your credit card might not work overseas, Ed Charles reports | September 19, 2007 AUSTRALIANS may be enjoying the Rugby World Cup in Europe but many may find that they will have trouble spending any money on their credit cards. The problem is that in Britain and Europe, credit cards that contain microchips and require a PIN rather than a signature have become the norm. Through ignorance, many merchants are now rejecting cards with […]
Tag: Credit cards
Shuffle the deck for benefits
From The Australian, Wealth: Ed Charles | August 22, 2007 THERE is a trade off on credit cards between ones that charge an annual fee and offer rewards, travel insurance and other benefits, and cards that cost little or nothing and are cheap to use abroad. The equation isn’t an easy one to work out. Harry Senlitonga, financial analyst with financial information company Cannex, says the company has analysed when it becomes worth upgrading to gold and platinum cards. Cannex’s […]
At your service for tickets, tee-offs and tables
by Ed Charles ALL platinum credit cards offer a concierge service, apart from the American Express credit card product. Amex reserves the concierge service for the top echelon of charge card holders. That’s those with the $1000-a-year platinum charge card or the $4300 Centurion cards. Concierge services also overlap with fine dining, ticket-booking and club schemes run by Mastercard and Visa. The Mastercard Moments and Applause schemes offer premium tickets for shows and can book some of the unbookable tables […]
The pay-offs of going platinum
COVER STORY Platinum is the new gold in the prestige credit card market, Ed Charles reports ONCE upon a time it was a class act to have a gold credit card. Then in 1997 along came the American Express Platinum charge card. It was invitation-only and more exclusive. Although the prestige was diluted when other players entered the market, led by Citibank in 1999 and the high-street banks three years ago, people still can’t resist the lure of platinum. “Platinum […]
The new cards on the block: pre-paid or cash

They’re just the shot as a gift for travellers or for those who don’t have credit cards, Ed Charles reports THE pre-paid credit and cash-card market is barely nine months old, yet there are already more than six cards on the market, with more predicted to be launched this year. They can be used for internet transactions and telephone shopping by people who have traditionally shunned credit cards. “It is definitely an area of growth in the credit card market,” […]